Guide on User Stories

What are User Stories?

User Stories are a simple way of capturing product functionality from the end-user's perspective. They are structured, concise and written in everyday language. The general template is as follows: 'As a [role], I want [feature] so that [benefit]'. They are primarily used in Agile development methodologies.

Importance of User Stories

The importance of User Stories lies in their ability to facilitate communication between the development team and stakeholders; ease of understanding, prioritisation and traceability of requirements; and they promote iterative development and continuous feedback.

How User Stories Work

User Stories start with defining user roles, followed by features desired by the user and then the benefit derived from the feature. They are designed to be small enough to be coded and tested within an iteration. Acceptance criteria are attached to each user story to define done-done state.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on User Stories

1. Understand the format: The basic format of a user story is easy to understand and remember - 'As a [role], I want [feature] so that [benefit]'. This structure is essential to get right in the exam.
2. Know the importance: While answering questions related to the importance and benefits of user stories, remember to include points on better communication, collaboration, prioritization and clearer understanding of requirements.
3. Be able to differentiate: Understanding how user stories differ from use cases or traditional requirements can often come up in exams. Remember, user stories are more about collaboration and less about documentation.
4. Remember INVEST criteria: Good user stories follow the INVEST principles - Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable. This acronym could be very useful for questions regarding best practices of writing user stories.